Folkmoot travels to Russia for CIOFF World Congress later this week and will join hundreds of others from many of the world’s folklore, folkdance and folk arts festivals.

CIOFF – the International Council of Organizations of Folklore Festivals and Folk Arts – is the global governing body for festivals like Folkmoot and provides incalculable assistance for ours and other affiliated festivals. Folkmoot has been a member of CIOFF for over three decades.

The CIOFF World Congress will allow the management and members of the CIOFF to get acquainted with Bashkortostan in Russia and partially test the infrastructure planned to be used in 2020 at the 6th World Folkloriada in Ufa, Bashkortostan.

The World Congress will last 11 days, from September 15 to September 25 and will bring together 200 representatives of the Executive Committee and national sections of the CIOFF from 60 countries — Azerbaijan, Switzerland, Croatia, Indonesia, Luxembourg, Canada, India, Finland, Costa Rica, France, Japan, Romania, Italy , USA, Slovenia, China, Hungary, Germany, Macedonia, Spain, Cameroon, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Mexico and other countries will take part in it.

“This is an amazing opportunity to meet, get to know, share ideas with and learn new ideas from festival leaders the world over,” said Folkmoot Executive Director Angeline Schwab, who will be Folkmoot’s representative at the world congress.

“And it’s always thrilling and reassuring at CIOFF gatherings like this to realize just how much Folkmoot is well-regarded, held in high esteem by CIOFF and its members,” she said.

The world gathering will be held at several venues in city of Ufa: the State Assembly — the Kurultay RB, the Congress Hall, and the Sheraton Hotel.

Ufa is on the Belaya River in central Russia, just over 840 miles east of Moscow and northwest of the Kazakstan border.

As part of the cultural program, the guests will visit the M.V. Nesterov Bashkir State Art Museum, concerts of the F. Gaskarov State Academic Folk Dance Ensemble, the National Orchestra of Folk Instruments and the “Argymak” ethnic-rock band, the press service of the Congress Bureau RB informs.

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Folkmoot is an international folk festival held since 1984 in Waynesville, North Carolina and surrounding communities. During its history, the two-week event has featured around 200 groups from approximately 100 countries. The Southeast Tourism Society has named Folkmoot USA one of its top twenty events for 20 years. The Folkmoot USA non-profit organization has its headquarters in the former Hazelwood Elementary School.

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